Where to throw a bachelorette party in Charlotte

Lots of brides see the bachelorette party as an opportunity to travel. This means the maid of honor (who is in charge) may find herself planning an event in an unfamiliar city. My sister and I, for example, will fly to Chicago this summer for hers.

So whether you’re traveling to Charlotte for the first time to throw a bachelorette party or you live here and just need some inspiration, I’ve pulled together some entertainment suggestions that will work for a range of bridal personalities and preferences.

Uptown drinks and dancing

Suggestions here work for a traditional bachelorette party wherein the bride-to-be wears a “Wifey” pageant sash and a tiara and sips liquor from a penis straw. You’ll land in club venues that specialize in bachelorette parties which means people will definitely buy you drinks and you’ll probably end up on stage somewhere. At least one of your girls will throw up.

Crave Dessert Bar – 500 W. 5th Street – Cozy lounge specializing in over-the-top desserts, cocktails and hookah. This is a good place to kick off the post-dinner late-night festivities.

Dandelion Market – 118 W. 5th Street – Dando, as it’s affectionately abbreviated, is a restaurant by day/evening but the second floor transitions into a dance club after hours. Sometime around 10 or 11 p.m. the large dining table is hoisted into the ceiling and people pour onto the cleared dance floor.

Fahrenheit – 222 S. Caldwell Street – Their 21st floor rooftop patio is prime real estate for your best photo ops of the night so try to be relatively lucid when you stop here. Get a group shot with the city behind you because the view is gorgeous.

The Music Factory – 1000 North Carolina Music Factory Boulevard – You could spend your entire night in this nightlife destination just outside Uptown. It’s got everything from restaurants and casual bars to comedy clubs and nightclubs.

Suite – 210 E. Trade Street – For the full-blown Uptown club experience, you could book a VIP table and spend most of your night here. If your crew prefers to bounce around to multiple venues, just stop in for drinks and dancing and then move on to the next.

Whisky River – 210 E. Trade Street – Nothing good ever came from riding a mechanical bull but that’s what you’ll do here in Dale Earnhardt Jr’s bar anyway because it’s a bachelorette party and time stands still tonight.

Vineyard tour

If clubs aren’t the bride’s thing, perhaps a full day of drinking wine sounds better. You can try to piece together your own itinerary (see our list of wineries within an hour of Uptown) and transportation, but I’d recommend leaving it to a tour expert for a hands-off, care-free experience.

North Carolina Wine Tours – Hop in a stretch limo for a full day of wine drinking. Limos can accommodate 6 to 14 passengers and tours last 6, 7 or 8 hours. You’ll work with an event coordinator to select your 3 to 4 winery stops according to the group’s preferences. ($700 – $1200 depending on car selection, total guests and number of hours.)

Wine Me Down Wine Tours – This group hosts regular wine tour events or you can hire them to plan a private tour just for your group. Recommended itineraries range from 3 to 5 hours and feature up to 25 wines to sample. You can select transportation from a luxury town car for 2-3 people all the way up to a coach bus for 32.

Treehouse Vineyards – If you prefer to plan your own winery itinerary and have a small party (6 people total), be sure to book the Date Nite Treehouse for $25/hour.

Brewery crawl

For the beer-loving bride, take a tour of Charlotte’s breweries. Again, you could plan it yourself (see our list of breweries) but it’s much easier to let a tour group handle the logistics.

Charlotte Brews Cruise – Private tours start at $54/person (minimum 4 people) and you can customize your itinerary.

Charlotte Brew Tours – You can book a private brewery tour for 8 people or more that includes transportation to three stops.

Trolley Pub – Bypass the bus transportation in favor of your own pedal-powered 14-person bike bar. For $375 you get a two-hour tour with stops at bars, breweries and restaurants.

Outdoor adventure

For the casual bride who would rather hike a mountain than hit the dance floor, plan on some outdoor entertainment. You won’t have to travel far outside the city to find it.

U.S. National Whitewater Center – There’s no shortage of entertainment here. You can book a raft on the whitewater rapids, go kayaking or even rent stand-up paddleboards. They’ve also got dry land activities, including a zip line, hiking/biking trails and a ropes course. The $59 All Sport Pass is the best deal for access to everything.

Charlotte Party Boat – Charter a party boat for a day on the lake. You can also add “party bus transportation” to and from the dock. That’s a lot of partying.